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how hard halloween can be
- By Tina Griffith
- Published 05/30/2008
- Creative Writing
- Unrated
Tina Griffith
I love the summer, Halloween, animals, chocolate and music. That is the basis of knowing me. I also like to write and travel a little.
View all articles by Tina Griffith
It began 8 months before Halloween. The idea was there, but facilitating it was a headache. The budget was low so most props were foraged from trash day goodies. A moon chair was turned into a giant spider web and the arch of the roof was blue pool hose. It takes a lot of creativity to create a haunted attraction since almost all of the scary things in life like witches, graveyards and such are already taken.
About halfway through summer the cast was gathered. We had meeting where costumes were made and fitted as good as possible. Most of the building supplies were gathered and in a pile in the driveway of my house. It took until the last possible weekend to get all of the small props put together.
Besides for the frame pieces all of the props and costumes were hauled down in a 96 cavalier and an 86 escort. The Haunted Park only lasts two days, so we pray that the weather is decent every year.
It rained non-stop all day Friday setting up. The third year in a row. Once the roof to the tunnel was up we could stay dry. We spent the first 3 hours trying to get the roof up. There was mud everywhere and everyone's clothes were soaked all day. Not only were we there but also the other groups and the leaders of the whole fundraiser setting up electric and making sure everyone had everything they needed.
The leaders are the town's district justice and the mayor, along with some other long time members of the community. They always give us pizza and soda for lunch, since everyone who works on it is there all day.
We set everything up in the mud. The props were set and the electric was hooked up: strobe light, black light, red Christmas lights, and a few other odds and ends. The district justice brought us some hay to lay down to try and keep the floor dry. For an 18 x 10 foot tunnel it took more than one bale of hay. Everyone in the group met an hour before it was set to open. Everyone was asking if it was still going to run, since it is mainly outside in the woods. No decisions were made yet. 5 minutes before opening the leaders came through and told us it was too wet to run the park.
We all left whining and complaining because
we really did want to work. Most of the actors are still in middle or high school, some college. They volunteer because they love what they do. Sure it isn't Hamlet or anything but any acting experience and the way the group works together is worth it. After one night it is like working with family.
The next morning we all went down to survey the damage the downpours of the previous night caused. Everyone there helped put things back together, one fixed the entire roof, and we drained the water from inside the tunnel trying not to drown the generator. We dried everything the best we could.
That left a half an hour to eat dinner and get all of the costumes and actors back to set up for the second night. We were ready when the leaders came through and said we had 5 minutes, then that the first group of people were walking through.
It is incredably hard to scare people. There is the startle factor, the gross factor and then the confusion factor. We tried everything. For the most part it worked. One cocky middle school boy pulled down our front panel of plastic. There was nothing we could do but try to fix it the best we could.
After the 3 hours or so of haunting it was over. We all packed the things up into the two cars. The leaders brought us a box of pizza and a bottle of soda to our cars because we couldn't make it to the pizza party at borough hall. That is what we get for volunteering, a pizza party.
Sunday morning we took down everything else. Threw out the trash and took home the frame pieces. We can use those again next year.
If you think that was hard and time consuming you don't know the half of it. We are all volunteers from the neighborhood working there because we love to and because the fundraiser pays for our 4th of July fireworks. All we get out of it is free food. But no one cares, even though it gets rained out at least one day a year, the same groups come back year after year. It is like a reunion. You need to love Halloween, be immensly creative, not mind the weather, or bugs and be very good at working under stress.
Yes, most of us were sick for a month afterward from the rain and cold and germs. Yes, there were plenty of spider bites. And yes, the mud never came out of my favorite green sweatpants. But yes, I am already planning for next year.
About halfway through summer the cast was gathered. We had meeting where costumes were made and fitted as good as possible. Most of the building supplies were gathered and in a pile in the driveway of my house. It took until the last possible weekend to get all of the small props put together.
Besides for the frame pieces all of the props and costumes were hauled down in a 96 cavalier and an 86 escort. The Haunted Park only lasts two days, so we pray that the weather is decent every year.
It rained non-stop all day Friday setting up. The third year in a row. Once the roof to the tunnel was up we could stay dry. We spent the first 3 hours trying to get the roof up. There was mud everywhere and everyone's clothes were soaked all day. Not only were we there but also the other groups and the leaders of the whole fundraiser setting up electric and making sure everyone had everything they needed.
The leaders are the town's district justice and the mayor, along with some other long time members of the community. They always give us pizza and soda for lunch, since everyone who works on it is there all day.
We set everything up in the mud. The props were set and the electric was hooked up: strobe light, black light, red Christmas lights, and a few other odds and ends. The district justice brought us some hay to lay down to try and keep the floor dry. For an 18 x 10 foot tunnel it took more than one bale of hay. Everyone in the group met an hour before it was set to open. Everyone was asking if it was still going to run, since it is mainly outside in the woods. No decisions were made yet. 5 minutes before opening the leaders came through and told us it was too wet to run the park.
We all left whining and complaining because
The next morning we all went down to survey the damage the downpours of the previous night caused. Everyone there helped put things back together, one fixed the entire roof, and we drained the water from inside the tunnel trying not to drown the generator. We dried everything the best we could.
That left a half an hour to eat dinner and get all of the costumes and actors back to set up for the second night. We were ready when the leaders came through and said we had 5 minutes, then that the first group of people were walking through.
It is incredably hard to scare people. There is the startle factor, the gross factor and then the confusion factor. We tried everything. For the most part it worked. One cocky middle school boy pulled down our front panel of plastic. There was nothing we could do but try to fix it the best we could.
After the 3 hours or so of haunting it was over. We all packed the things up into the two cars. The leaders brought us a box of pizza and a bottle of soda to our cars because we couldn't make it to the pizza party at borough hall. That is what we get for volunteering, a pizza party.
Sunday morning we took down everything else. Threw out the trash and took home the frame pieces. We can use those again next year.
If you think that was hard and time consuming you don't know the half of it. We are all volunteers from the neighborhood working there because we love to and because the fundraiser pays for our 4th of July fireworks. All we get out of it is free food. But no one cares, even though it gets rained out at least one day a year, the same groups come back year after year. It is like a reunion. You need to love Halloween, be immensly creative, not mind the weather, or bugs and be very good at working under stress.
Yes, most of us were sick for a month afterward from the rain and cold and germs. Yes, there were plenty of spider bites. And yes, the mud never came out of my favorite green sweatpants. But yes, I am already planning for next year.